Three-dimensional shaping of panels of card

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for doming the top panel of a shoulder type box, or similar, for cigarettes.

United States Patent [191 Fox et al. Mar. 26, 1974 THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPING OF [56] References Cited PANELS 0F CARD UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventors: Austin Leslie Fox; William Arthur 3,552,165 1 1971 Taylor 93/60 X Albert Jones, both of London, 2,699,274 1 1955 De Villers 93/1 D X England 2,599,820 6/1952 Ford 93/1.3 x 2,296,889 9/1942 Wiley 93/60 {73] Assignee: Molins Limited, London, England [22] Filed; 1 1972 Primary ExaminerR0y Lake I Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan [2]] App! 281311 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Markva & Smith [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT Aug. 19, 1971 Great Britain 38991/71 A h d d apparatus f d i h top panel f a shoulder type box, or similar, for cigarettes. [52] US. Cl. 93/1 D, 93/1.3, 93/36 13,

93/59 R, 93/6O 7 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures [51] Int. Cl B3ld 5/02 [58] Field of Search 93/1 D, 1 R, 1.3, 49 M,

THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHAPING OF PANELS OF CARD This invention concerns improvements in or relating to three-dimensional shaping of panels of card, and relates more particularly to such panels where they are to form a face of a box, such as a box in which cigarettes may be packed for sale.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of forming a domed lid for a box from a panel of card, comprising placing one side of the panel against a first former having a portion engageable at least around the margins of the area of the panel to be domed, and applying pressure to the other side of the panel through a block of foamed resilient material to expand said area into the former.

The former may have a concave surface of the shape of the desired dome, so that said area when domed bears against the concave surface.

The method may further comprise the steps of placing said other side of the domed panel against a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the sides of concave shape, pressing the panel against the second former with a block of foamed resilient material, placing said other side of the domed panel against a third and male former having the desired final shape of the lid and having said edges of convex shape, and pressing the panel against the third former with a block of foamed resilient material.

Preferably the moisture content of the panel of card is increased approximately to 6 percent moisture content.

Further according to the present invention there is provided apparatus for forming domed lids for boxes from panels of card, comprising a block of foamed resilient material, a first former opposite the block and having a portion for engaging at least around the margins of the area of a panel to be domed, and means to cause relative movement between the block and the former for compressing a panel therebetween so that said area is expanded into the former to produce a domed shape.

The apparatus may further comprise a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the sides of concave shape, a third and male former of the desired final shape of the lid and having said edges of convex shape, two blocks of foamed resilient material mounted for compression respectively against the second and third formers, and transfer means for successively transferring a domed panel from the first former to the second former, and from the second former after being compressed therein to the third former.

The transfer means may comprise an indexable member having a first arm incorporating the first former and including suction means for transferring a panel from the first former to the second former and from the third former to an output, and a second arm including suction means for transferring a panel from the second former to the third former.

The block of resilient material may be polyurethane foam.

The invention also extends to a box having a domed panel produced by the above method.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a panel of card ready to be pressed by means of a block of foamed resilient material against a support having an aperture.

FIG. 2 shows the effect of such pressing,

FIG. 3 shows the panel about to be pressed against a first male former by a block of resilient material,

FIG. 4 shows the result of such pressing,

FIG. 5 shows the panel about to be pressed against a second male former by means of a block of foamed resilient material,

FIG. 6 shows the result of such pressing,

FIG. 7 shows the finished domed shape,

FIG. 8 shows a modification of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 to 6, and

FIGS. 9, 10 and 1 l are sections repsectively along the lines IX-IX, X-X, and XI--XI of FIG. 8, but drawn to a larger scale and with the apparatus in different positions from that shown in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 1 a rectangular panel of card to form the lid of a shoulder type of cigarette box is shown at 10. The panel is moistened and placed against a wooden support or former 11 so that its edges are supported. The support 11 has a rectangular aperture 12 of substantially the size desired for the large face of the lid. A block of resilient foamed plastics material 13 is placed above the panel 10. The plastics block 13 is polyurethane foam sold under the trade mark of POLYVON Grade 6M2-55 and is one inch thick. A block of wood 14 is placed on top of the block 13 and pressure is applied in a press in the direction of the arrow. As shown in FIG. 2 the panel 10 bulges into the aperture 12 resulting in a slightly domed shape. The support 11 may not have a through aperture 12 but may have a concave surface of the shape of the panel 10 in FIG. 2, against which the panel 10 is pressed. The panel is removed from the support 11, inverted, and placed on a second and male former 15 as shown in FIG. 3.

If the lid being made is to have adjacent side walls joined at the corners by connecting tabs it is preferred to bend down edge portions of the panel along all of its four side walls before the panel is placed on the male former 15 of FIG. 3. If however the lid being made is to have side walls whose edges abut at the corners, without any connecting tabs, it may be arranged to bend down the side walls in the course of operations to be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 3 the panel 10 is shown in full lines with its side walls already bent down, whilst the dotted lines indicate the position of its edge portions when the latter are to be bent down to form side walls in the course of operations about to be described.

A block of wood 16 is placed beneath the former 15. The former 15 has a domed surface 15A, and along the edges where the domed surface 15A meets the four sides 158 a concave curve 15C. Pressure is applied again through a plastics block 13A similar to block 13 (block 13 could be used, if desired), to produce the shape of panel shown in FIG. 4.

The panel 10 is then removed from the former l5 and placed on a third former, i.e. a second male former 17 on a block 16A, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The former 17 is of the desired shape of the lid, having a domed upper surface 17A and four side walls 178 which are blended into the domed surface 17A by convex curved edges 17C. Pressure is applied through a further plastics block 133 similar to block 13 (which could be used again, if desired) resulting in the finished shape of lid.

FIG. 7 shows the shape of the finished lid and also, of course, the shape of the second male former 17. The lid 10 has two side walls 10A and two side walls 108 and a domed upper surface substantially in the form of a shallow pyramid. The pyramid has two substantially triangular faces 10C and two substantially trapezoidal faces 10D which arise because the box is not square in plan, the sides 10B being somewhat longer than the sides 10A. However, the four faces could be made triangular. The faces 10C and 10D are blended into each other and into the sides 10A and 103 respectively.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 may be modified and integrated as shown in FIG. 8. A cruciform member 20 having four equispaced arms 21 to 24 is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis in a bearing 25. A ram (not shown) acting on a ratchet and pawl mechanism (not shown) is provided to index the member clockwise around the eight stations A to H.

At stations A, C and E (see FIGS. 9 to 11 respectively) are the plastics blocks, formers and support shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, but the block and support of FIG. 9 is upside down relative to FIGS. 1 and 2, also a support 11 is carried by each of the arms 21 and 23. However the same reference numerals have been used wherever possible.

Referring now also to FIG. 9, arm 2] (arm 23 being identical) carries a support or former 11 having an aperture 12 in it. Mounted above the aperture 12 is a slide member 26 to the end of which is connected a suction pad 27. The slide 26 is movable vertically by pneumatic means (not shown) and suction may be applied to pad 27 so that a panel of card 10 can be held by it. A pair of pivotable fingers 1 1A are provided at the sides below the support 11 for clamping the panel 10.

FIG. 10 shows in chain-dot outline a section through the arm 24, the arm 22 being identical. Again, the ends of the arms 22 and 24 each carry a suction pad 27 mounted on a slide 26.

Starting from the position shown in FIG. 8, and following the passage of a single panel 10, the operation of the apparatus is as follows:

A panel 10 is fed by a conveyor (not shown) at station H to arm 21, where it is gripped against the support 11 by the fingers 11A.

The member 20 is indexed to bring arm 21 to station A, where the member is shown in chain-dot outline. The plastics block 13 is pressed through block 14 against the panel 10 to perform the first doming operation shown in FIG. 9. To prevent arm 21 being lifted, the support 11 enters under a restraining guide (not shown) at station A.

The member 20 is next indexed to bring arm 21 past station B (which is an idle position) to station C at which the slide 26 is lowered and suction is applied to pad 27 to hold the panel 10. The fingers 11A are now released and the slide 26 is lowered further until the panel 10 rests on a second and male former l supported on block 16. Auction is cut off, the pad 27 is retracted, and the member 20 is indexed one station further.

The block 13A at station C is now pressed through block MA on to panel against former to perform the second operation, as shown in FIG. 10. At the same time another panel 10 is received at station H by arm 23. Block 13A is then retracted and the member is indexed to bring the arm 24 to station C, FIG. 10 showing the beginning of this movement. Suction pad 27 of arm 23 is now lowered to withdraw the panel 10 from the former l5, and the member 20 is indexed two stations onwards to bring arm 24 to station E. Here the panel 10 is lowered on to a third and male former l7 supported on block 16A, and the member is indexed one station to bring it back to the position shown in full lines in FIG. 8.

The final pressing operation (FIG. 11) now takes place, after which the member is indexed to bring the now empty arm 23 to station E. Lastly, the pad 27 of arm 23 is lowered to pick up the panel 10, and the member indexed onwards two stations to bring arm 23 to station G, where the panel is released on to a conveyor (not shown). Arm 23 is then indexed to station H, where the cycle is repeated.

Instead of having a rotary transfer apparatus, as described above, the three passes at stations A, C and E may be arranged in line, and a linear transfer apparatus may be provided for moving the panels from one press to the next.

We claim:

1. A method of forming a domed lid for a box from a panel of card, comprising the steps of placing one side of the panel against a first former having a portion engageable at least around the margins of the area of the panel to be domed, applying pressure to the other side of the panel through a block of foamed resilient material to expand said area into the former, placing said other side of the domed panel against a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the side of concave shape, pressing the panel against the second former with a block of foamed resilient material, placing said other side of the domed panel against a third and male former having the desired final shape of the lid and having said edges of convex shape, and pressing the panel against the third former with a block of foamed resilient material.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said first former has a concave surface of the shape of the desired dome, so that said area when domed bearsagainst the concave surface.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the block associated with the second former also acts to bend over edge portions of the panel against the sides of the second former to form the side walls of the domed lid.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the panel of card is increased approximately to 6 percent moisture content.

5. Apparatus for formimg domed lids for boxes from panels of card, comprising a block of foamed resilient material, a first former opposite the block and having a portion for engaging at least around the margins of the area of a panel to be domed, means to cause relative movement between the block and the former for compressing a panel therebetween so that said area is expanded into the former to produce a domed shape in said panel, a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the sides of concave shape, a third and male former of the desired final shape of the lid and having said edtes of convex shape,

suction means for transferring a panel from the first former to the second former and from the third former to an output, and a second arm including suction means for transferring a panel from the second former to the third former.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said foamed resilient material is polyurethane foam. 

1. A method of forming a domed lid for a box from a panel of card, comprising the steps of placing one Side of the panel against a first former having a portion engageable at least around the margins of the area of the panel to be domed, applying pressure to the other side of the panel through a block of foamed resilient material to expand said area into the former, placing said other side of the domed panel against a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the side of concave shape, pressing the panel against the second former with a block of foamed resilient material, placing said other side of the domed panel against a third and male former having the desired final shape of the lid and having said edges of convex shape, and pressing the panel against the third former with a block of foamed resilient material.
 2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said first former has a concave surface of the shape of the desired dome, so that said area when domed bears against the concave surface.
 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the block associated with the second former also acts to bend over edge portions of the panel against the sides of the second former to form the side walls of the domed lid.
 4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the moisture content of the panel of card is increased approximately to 6 percent moisture content.
 5. Apparatus for formimg domed lids for boxes from panels of card, comprising a block of foamed resilient material, a first former opposite the block and having a portion for engaging at least around the margins of the area of a panel to be domed, means to cause relative movement between the block and the former for compressing a panel therebetween so that said area is expanded into the former to produce a domed shape in said panel, a second and male former having a large face of substantially the desired domed shape but with the edges between the face and the sides of concave shape, a third and male former of the desired final shape of the lid and having said edtes of convex shape, two blocks of foamed resilient material mounted for compression respectively against the second and third formers, and transfer means for successively transferring a domed panel from the first former to the second former, and from the second former after being compressed therein to the third former.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the transfer means comprises an indexable member having a first arm incorporating the first former and including suction means for transferring a panel from the first former to the second former and from the third former to an output, and a second arm including suction means for transferring a panel from the second former to the third former.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said foamed resilient material is polyurethane foam. 